Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps . . .
by HPMystery
Summary: Draco and Harry . . . secretly in love?!? Harry, a slytherin?!? Ron and Hermione, Harry's enemies?!? What could have happened if Harry had met Draco instead of Ron that first day at platform 9 3/4- **SLASH**, Draco/Harry
1. Draco Malfoy, to the rescue!

DISCLAIMER: Wow, you're reading a Harry Potter fanfiction. FANFICTION, I repeat. As in 1) fiction and 2) obviously some of the characters aren't mine. And judging by the fact that this is HARRY POTTER fanfiction, I'd say they're probably J K Rowling's. Just probably. Well, PLEASE review! Flames will be used to roast marshmallows! It's my first fic so be easy on me, k? Yay :) Biya!   
~Lauren   


Harry Potter was standing in the middle of King's Cross station, amazingly bewildered. He stared at his ticket in confusion, then back up at the employee who had just scolded him for asking where his platform was. Ever since Hagrid had left him there without a trace, he had been rather worried. If he didn't find out where platform nine and three quarters was soon, he'd miss his train! 

He was about to just give up when he heard a voice snap, "Damn muggles. Hurry up Draco, you wouldn't want to be late for your first day at Hogwarts!" 

Harry frantically looked up and spotted the man who had just spoken. He was middle aged, with silvery blonde hair and piercing eyes. His son was trailing along behind him, looking almost identical to him—and unusually handsome. Even his exhausted and disgruntled expression looked like it was just out of a muggle fashion magazine. 

Not wanting to waste precious time, Harry ran up to him. "Excuse me, but are you headed for . . . platform nine and three quarters?" 

The boy ((who Harry assumed was "Draco")) glanced over Harry's shoulder, spotter his owl—which proved to him that Harry was a wizard too—and nodded. "Yes, I am . . . what's it to you?" Draco asked smugly. 

Harry looked sideways nervously. "Errrr . . . do you, ummm, think you could tell me how to . . ." 

Draco raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "Possibly. . . but shouldn't your parents be telling you how to get there?" he asked, trying to weasel out of this stranger if he was a pureblood or not. 

Harry looked down, and bit his lip. He finally managed to mutter, "They . . . aren't around anymore. Killed by a man—Voldemort I think was his name—left me this scar . . ." 

Harry brushed his bangs back, revealing a lightning-shaped scar on the side of his forehead. When he looked at Draco's expression, he couldn't possibly contain a chuckle. Draco's eyes were looking rather large, and his mouth hung open slightly in shock. One of his eyebrows was cocked slightly, and his already pale cheeks muted themselves even more. 

"Harry Potter! Wow! I'm Malfoy- Draco Malfoy." He offered Harry his hand. 

Harry gladly shook it. "Great to meet you! So, is this—errr—platform nine and three quarters?" 

Draco nodded. "Well, this is how you get through . . . just walk—rather quickly, to play on the safe side—through this wall. Don't be afraid, or the wall will get the best of you. Follow after me, okay?" 

Harry nodded, and watched Draco as he quickly walked through the brick wall. Harry's eyes widened, but we blindly followed- having faith after seeing his new friend complete the task first. If either of them would have looked back after they had entered platform nine and three quarters, they would have seen a very pale, angry looking Lucius Malfoy briskly walking towards the barrier, not looking amused. At all. 

Draco and Harry searched the train corridors after a brief goodbye to Draco's father for a nice looking empty compartment. After finding one, the two boys sat down and made themselves comfortable. 

"So, would you like to know about Hogwarts?" Draco asked, smiling. 

"Yes, that would be great!" Harry replied, still rather dazed about the whole thing. 

Draco laughed softly. "Alright then. I guess I should begin with the four wizarding houses. . ." 

Draco talked to Harry for several minutes before two rather large individuals entered the compartment, introducing themselves as Crabbe and Goyle. When Harry introduced himself, they too had an amazed expression on their faces. The four chatted the entire ride to the castle, stopping occasionally as the sweets car came by. Harry was actually starting to feel confident that he was going to fit in. School hadn't even started yet, and he already had three new friends! 

As they neared the castle, a girl with light brown frizzy hair and buck teeth stuck her head into their compartment. "Just warning you," she said, "That the train will be stopping soon, you might want to change into your robes." Her eyes looked at Harry, then flicked upward towards his scar. "Cripes, you're Harry Potter!" 

Harry's ears turned pink as he nodded and mumbled a brief "Hello." 

"Well, I've got to get going, see you all inside!" She stuck her head back out into the hallway, and Harry's three companions immediately burst out into laughter. 

"Stupid Granger. She's certainly not attractive, eh?" Draco snickered. Harry decided not to answer this question—personally, he'd fancied the girl's eyes. "Well, we best change though. Almost there!" 

The four boys smiled in anticipation of their new year, and quickly got out their robes.   



	2. Ohhhhh, PANSY!

DISCLAIMER ((etc)): As I said in the previous chapter, they're all J K Rowlings. Obviously. And this time I brought graham crackers and chocolate, so any flames will NOW be used to make S'MORES. Thank ye very much. Oh, and thanks by the way to my first three reviewers: 7Luna7, :?, and Kuroi Atropos. And Kuroi, just so you know, I changed the first chapter slightly- thanks for the advice! By the way- this WILL be *SLASH*, but I just haven't advanced that far in the story yet. Sorry, harry/draco lovers come back soon! Biya!   
~Lauren 

Draco and Harry stepped out of the train, now fully dressed in their Hogwarts attire. Harry was still laughing at a joke Draco had made about chocolate frogs, and Draco was smiling smugly ((an action which he did quite a bit)). They walked over to Hagrid, who greeted Harry with a huge smile. 

"Harry! I see ye've already gotten about and made yerself a friend, eh?" he chortled. Harry just grinned back. "FIRST YEARS, OVER 'ERE!" he boomed, waving a huge arm to grab their attention. 

A large group of laughing children bunched up in front of him, staring with wide eyes at the castle. Once everyone was settled, Hagrid beckoned for them to follow him. After the boat ride up to the castle, they finally entered. Before they knew it, they in the front of the main hall, being welcomed by Proffessor McGonagall, who then described the sorting hat process. Harry and Draco grinned at eachother when she named Slytherin, anxious to find out their houses. 

Draco was called up before Harry. He smiled as he sauntered over to the small stool and sat down. Professor McGonagall set the hat gently down on his head. It had barely touched him at all when it shouted out, **"SLYTHERIN!"** for all to hear. Draco grinned, and rushed over to his table. 

Harry sat there for a moment, "zoning out", thinking about the exciting year that was about to come, when he heard McGonagall's sharp voice spurt out, "Harry Potter." 

Nervously, Harry stepped up, and sat timidly down on the stool. He felt the hat plop down on his head, and instantly heard a voice in his head. _Ahhh, Harry! I've been waiting to see you . . . I notice that you have astrong desire to be in Slytherin . . . you'd make a good Slytherin too- yes, indeed, you could be great- well, in that case, better be . . . _**"SLYTHERIN!"******

Harry smiled, and ran over to join Draco at the Slytherin table. "Welcome to Slytherin!" Harry heard from all over the table, smiling 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th years waving at him. Even a couple of the 6th and 7th years joined in whole-heartedly. Harry laughed, and looked back up to see the remainder of his classmates be sorted into their respective houses. After a short speech from Dumbledore, and a few words from some other teachers, the feast began. Harry's eyes glazed over at all the food; never had he seen so much before that he could actually eat! Living with the Dursleys and all, he never really expected much. Crabbe and Goyle were ((of course)) stuffing their faces, looking rather like hungry elves- with their ears sticking out of their wizard hats, that is. 

A smirking girl who sat to his right looked over at him after helping herself to some more pudding. "Hello, I'm Pansy Parkinson. And you're Harry Potter?" 

Harry looked back over at her. "Errrr, yeah, that's me!" he smiled weakly. 

She nodded curtly as she offered him her hand. "Nice to meet you, Harry. I'm looking forward to a great year." 

Harry took her hand and shook politely, noticing how cold her delicate fingers were against his warm skin. He looked into her eyes, and realized that they were an astounding shade of blue, with brown flecks accenting the center. As she gently pulled back her hand and turned away, Harry almost could have sworn that she winked at him, just for a moment. 

His ears turned pink. 

Draco leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Got your eye on Parkinson, there?" 

No, scratch that. His ears turned a bright, bright, scarlet. 

Harry shook his head, trying to conceal the smile that he knew would creep onto his face in a moment. Draco couldn't do anything but laugh. Not a loud, showy laugh, but a silent shake- more like a convulsion, Harry thought to himself, making the smile even harder to hide. He quickly shoved a piece of chicken into his mouth and chewed attentively, ears still red. 

Draco sighed happily, and looked down at his plate. Being rather bored with with mashed potatoes and gravy, he decided to manipulate them around with his fork until they vaguely resembled two human forms. Smiling deviously, he pushed them together slowly, mimicking Harry and Pansy's voices. 

"Ohhhhh, HARRY!" he squeaked. "Pansy? Do you really . . . LOVE ME?" This caught Harry's attention, and now he was stared at Draco, wide eyed and mortified. "I confess . . . I want your BODY, Potter!" 

"SHHHHHHH!" Harry frantically whispered, rather harshly. 

"Make love to me, Pansy darling!" Draco panted, pushing one mashed potato figure completely on top of the other. Harry moaned, and put his hands up to his face. Draco, trying to hold back laughter, scooped "Harry" up on his fork, and set him in his mouth. 

Pansy, meanwhile, was staring at Draco over Harry's slumped back, looking horrified. She quickly stood up from her seat, marched over to Draco, and bent down to his ear. 

"NEVER. DO. THAT. AGAIN. Have you ever thought that maybe I DO have my eye on Potter?" she whispered, practically spitting into his ear. 

"I was just joking!" Draco mumbled defensively to both of them. 

Harry mumbled incoherently, his ears seemingly catching on fire. 

_Yes,_ thought Draco, _this is going to be one hell of a year._


	3. Got some dark desire?

AUTHORS NOTE, DISCLAIMER, ETC: Wow! I just posted my first two chapters yesterday, and I already have 19 reviews! I seriously couldn't be happier.   
Thank you Ines, for the nice email :) and to all of the rest of you who reviewed. I've been giddy all day thinking about it. Well, in this chapter, Draco an-   
wait a sec, that wouldn't be right- you have to READ the chapter to find out :) Well, slash should be coming soon, although maybe not quite yet. By the   
way, just thought I'd add something: I cannot try to figure out how everything that really happened in the first book would happen if Harry was in   
Slytherin, I'd confuse to living daylights out of myself, so I've decided to completely wipe away everything that's happened: aka, the sorceror's stone?   
Never left the hands of Nicholas Flamel. Get it? Got it? Good! Review, review, review, people, encourage me to write more. Flamers will be served with   
leftover thanksgiving turkey! Biya!   
~Lauren 

PS: I saw Harry Potter (the movie)) for the fourth time tonight! Yay!   
  
  


**three weeks later** 

"Harry! Hurry up you git, we'll be late for breakfast!" laughed a loud voice very close to Harry's head. Harry looked up in confusion, his eyes fluttering open and squinting, trying to adjust to the light. Slowly, he began to make out a fuzzy blonde blob standing two feet away from him. 

Groaning, he slapped his hand onto his bedtime table and felt around for his glasses. He picked them up the thin wire frames, and st them on his face. As soon as the cool metal touched the bridge of his nose, he recognized the rest of Draco, now crystal clear instead of fuzzy. 

"'Morning Draco." he mumbled, plopping one foot at a time lazily off the side of his bed. "What's the time?" 

"It's time for you to move your lazy ass, put on a robe, and run down to breakfast with me," he yawned. "Don't sit around there all day!" 

Harry laughed half-heartedly, still halfway between sleep and consiousness. He grabbed his robe, slipped it over his head, grabbed his wand, and joined Draco in walking down the spiral staircase. As they slumped through the Slytherin Common Room, Harry pointed his wand at his mouth and mumbled "Dentitosa Brushorum," to make up for the fact that he had skipping his usual morning teeth-brushing and didn't fancy the idea of going through the day breathing the smell of a dead animal on his classmates. After exiting the painting hole, they rushed as quickly as they could to breakfast- hunger serving as a strong motivation. 

They walked into the main hall and past the Gryffindor table to Slytherin. Pansy greeted them with a small wave and a smile ((obviously directed more towards Harry)), Crabbe and Goyle with slaps on the back. Many Slytherins leaned down the long table to wave hello, or something of the sort. Harry just smiled meekly, and lightly buttered his toast. 

"So Harry- I woke up around one forty five this morning, and I thought I heard noises coming from your canopy," Goyle smirked. "Anybody . . . in there?" 

Harry's eyes rolled once again. "No, for the last time, it was JUST ME! You've asked me this a million times since the year started." 

Crabbe and Goyle chuckled at him, and Draco laughed quietly along with them. "Right, Harry," he said. "Nobody. At all. Not even . . " 

Upon saying this, his eyes flickered over to Pansy Parkinson sitting nearby. Harry smiled and shook his head, and Draco winked in response. Harry's heart skipped a beat,   
and his stomach did a one-man acrobatics show. 

Suddenly he realized that this wasn't because of Pansy, it was because of . . . Draco? He frowned. 

"Errrr, Drac, I'm not feeling too well- I think I might lie down for a bit." He pushed in his chair and headed upstairs. What would happen if these feelings for Draco never   
turned out to be in his imagination? Perhaps he could get through that. 

Perhaps.   


**later that night** 

Harry lay awake thinking for the second night in a row. It was peaceful late at night--or early in the morning, however you'd like to think of it--with nobody awake, with no hustle and bustle, no classes, no noise. The first few weeks had been busy, but not wrongly so. A lot had been covered in classes and with friends, and Harry felt as if he'd lived in the castle for a thousand years. He was tired, there was no doubt about that, but however hard he tried, sleep would not come. Feeling defeated, he stared up at the green velvet canopy above him, counting the ripples. Green. For Slytherin. He wasn't quite sure what that stood for yet, but he had a small grasp. The Slytherins seemed to be tougher, more drawn back and cool. From the small taste he'd had of a Slytherin lifestyle, he didn't always feel like he belonged. Sure, he didn't have any problems--but he'd felt strangely innocent, somehow oblivious to the dark forces, and that just wasn't common in his house. A few times he'd even felt . . . well . . . _too nice._ But Draco was starting to fix that. When he was with him, Slytherin didn't seem all that far away. 

Draco Malfoy, that seemingly devious boy with the silver blonde hair. Hilarious, he was; popular too. He knew the right people, had all the connections; but Harry could tell in the short time that he'd befriended Draco that there was slightly more to him than the tough exterior he showed the world. He'd seen a sliver of a true smile protruding from that trademark sneer and saucy smirk. A perfect smile, the kind that makes you question a person's personality; a persuasive sort of smile that was allmost haunting. And his eyes? They were the most amazing he had ever seen- they far beat Hermione's, and even outshined his own emerald eyes. Draco's eyes reminded Harry of snowstorms- a light, chilling blue-gray; you could perhaps describe them as icy. 

_Maybe, _Harry thought, _there's a fire behind those eyes that needs only one spark . . ._

Harry gasped. His mind had finally wandered too far- when he started viewing his new friends- new MALE friends- in that way, he knew it was time to get to sleep. Groaning, he curled onto side and buried his face in his pillow._ Damn, I can feel my ears turning pink again . . . good thing there's no Draco to notice- boy, would he be surprised if he ever knew why!_

He tried to block all thoughts of Draco out of his head as he rolled back over onto his back. He was a friend! He hardly knew him at all! _And a guy . . . _Harry sighed, and rolled his eyes at his ridiculous state- after all, it was only a dark thought, sneaking into his head after an exciting day at 2:30 in the morning. _It meant nothing, right? Right. Now it's two thirty AM, I need to go to sleeeeeep!_

Finally running out of ideas to lull him to sleep, he just gave up. His own crowded thoughts lulled him to sleep, and rather quickly. _Yes, things will all be better in the morning._   
  
  
  
  
  


_You like, you like? I rewrote it, if you didn't know. ^_^ Well, like it? Ryan gave me the idea to switch the timing, and I rewrote quite a bit of the second part. Review, review!!_


	4. Realization

BRIEF WARNING: Okay, yeah I just posted this chapter, but I just decided to update it judging from my reviews. THIS STORY IS SLASH!!!!!!!!! If you DON'T know what I mean by that, I mean male/male romance. I have warned you before, even in the summary, and I warn you again- if you don't like the idea of HARRY AND DRACO IN LOVE, please LEAVE NOW. This is your LAST WARNING, okay???? Okaaaaaaay! Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!   


AUTHORS NOTE, ETC: Hiya, guys! Thank you SOOOOO much for the reviews, it really means a lot to me! I've been meaning to get another chapter up, and I'm home sick today- I decided it's the perfect time :) A special shout out and thank you again to Ines, who helped me loads with my ideas. ^-^ Thanks to everyone who reviewed for not flaming me, you're sooo nice. By the way, does anybody here like the band Weezer? I saw them in concert on December second ((a couple days ago)) in Madison! I was SO excited, they're my favorite band. ^_^ Anyway, guess what? I watched Anna and the King today. Tom Felton is SO adorable! Ahhhhh, he did such a good job at playing Draco. Well, thanks again to reviewers- and make sure to review some more! Won't write without reviews! Love to you all,   
~Lauren 

Draco stared after Harry, wondering why he was in such a hurry to leave. He could tell Harry was lying about being sick- that much was obvious. Perhaps it was what he said about him and Pansy? He sighed, and sipped thoughtfully at his orange juice. It was obvious they liked each other- couldn't they just get on with it, and admit it? Then again, Draco just couldn't understand how people only his age could already have a relationship. Seriously, they hadn't even hit puberty yet! 

Crabbe looked longingly at Harry's untouched toast. "Do y'think he'd let me have that?" 

Draco rolled his eyes. "Is that all you ever think about, food?" 

Crabbe reached his pudgy arm across the table and snatched Harry's toast off of it's plate. "No, I think about girls a bloody lot too!" 

Draco groaned. He might as well give up trying to have an intelligent conversation with either of the twits that sat at his side. "I'm going to go join Harry. You two are giving me a headache." 

Goyle raised a hairy eyebrow at Crabbe, who just shrugged. Draco stood up and turned, then walked briskly out of the main hall. His mind began to wander as he walked through the halls, making his way to the Slytherin house. Would Harry and Pansy end up getting together? His lip curled in mild disgust as he imagined Pansy running her boney fingers through Harry's soft black hair, her rough lips caressing Harry's smooth ones, her tongue forcing itself into Harry's warm mouth, tasting him, devouring him. Harry really does deserve better than that, he thought. 

His eyes are so shocking, so amazingly green, his lashes curl out so delicately . . . I couldn't imagine anyone else looking into them and having him look back- truly look back- at them but . . . me . . . 

His pace slowed down, and his eyes turned cloudy. A faint smile crept over his lips, and his eyes closed delicately. Suddenly, they snapped open, and his lips parted into an expression of shock. Had he just been . . . thinking about Harry . . in . . . that way? He shuddered, and wrinkled his nose. Must've been something I ate, he told himself, not wanting to believe he had just thought that on his   
own free will. 

Turning to face the wall, he blurted "Thunderfrog", and walked into the Slytherin commons. As he started across the room, he noted a pale figure sitting in a green velvet chair across from the fireplace. The figure looked over at Draco, and made its features visible- dark messy hair, round black glasses, and a lightning scar. 

Harry smiled weakly at Draco. "What brings you here?" 

"Crabbe and Goyle. They're bloody gits, they are- Pansy's not much better." 

The sitting boy nodded and looked back to the fire as Draco sauntered over to a vacant chair. "I understand completely." He looked back at Draco, who was making himself comfortable in the large green chair a few feet away. As he moved his head, his silvery blonde hair shimmered with every move, glistening so gently in the firelight, looking almost as if Draco was glowing . . . 

Harry's eyes widened. He'd been thinking of Draco again! Draco looked at Harry with an expression of concern. 

"You okay? You look a bit . . . pale." 

"Well, like I said, I'm not exactly feeling the best . . ." 

Draco smiled comfortingly at Harry. "You feel better, okay?" He stood up, and walked slowly over to Harry's chair. Resting his hand on the other boy's shoulder, he murmured "Wouldn't want it to get worse." 

Draco's insides were going mad as he felt the warmth of Harry's shoulder through his hand, and the tingles his body got when the were close. Draco knew now. He knew that it wasn't just some notion he had while walking back from breakfast, it was real. He had a crush on his best friend- Harry Potter.   
  
  
  


Hee hee heeeeee! That was SO fun to write. Sorry, that chapter was a bit short :( but I'll get to work right away on the next one. KEEP THOSE REVIEWS ROLLIN'!!!!!!! Anything you're just DYING to tell me you can also email at yogurtgoddess@charter.net , I'd love to hear from ya! Thanks again to Ines, for helping me with this ^-^ In the next couple of chapters it's gonna get WAY better- all you have to do is review! **kisses** MWA! I send my love. Biya!   
~Lauren 


	5. Growing into love

Alia Frierdon ((don't worry, they're going to put it our of their minds- after all, it wasn't anything too sexual, just kissing, and the next chapter they will be fifth years, I think . .   
.)), Klee ((thanks! by the way, I LOVE your stories ^-^)), The Merlin ((thankssssss, darlin'! here it is!)) Al ((awwww, I feel so loved!)), Saheen ((hee hee, I AM mean aren't   
I!)), D&HLover ((ha ha, that's exactly what I'm doing! I'm waiting 'till they're fifth years here until they actually do anything)), Evil Windstar ((thanks sooooo much for   
reviewing each chapter, I wuv you!)), Koneko ((well, today's your lucky day . . .)), SoulSister ((I know, aren't they???)), CrystalStarGuardian ((aeeeeeee! thank you tons! I   
want to write another fic with Star in it, I LOVE her!)), ClarKeRaVen ((YAY! Another Weezer fan! yeah, the concert ROCKED, Tenacious D was awesome too ^-^ Hope you're   
feeling better!)), Ines ((more Pansy, on the way! I'm excited for this chapter, hee hee)), ex-LongLongHair ((Yeah, Draco/Harry is such a . . .yay! . . . couple . . . ya know?   
^-^)), Laura Holmes ((I don't really like the "fantastic trio" that terribly much either! I can't WAIT to make them enemies ^_^)), Curare ((well, some people have different   
tastes in pairings . . . thanks for the compliment, though. just suggesting, next time read the summary and notes, then y ou'll know it's a harry/draco)), DragonSoul ((I didn't   
like how they combed his hair either!!!!)), razilee ((don't worry! they're only thinking about kissing, yay. But now I'm going to boost them up a few years, that should help   
^-^)), Katie ((there WERE warnings of slash)), RisingStar ((thank you thank you thank you! I aim to please ^_~ )) Pythia ((thanks! it's always great to have fans ^-^))   
Natalie ((ACK! NATALIE! I LOVE YA! I'm SO overjoyed that you like it! Couldn't be happier!!! I'll tell you in gym when I get new chapters up ^-^)), Duo's Tenshi ((thanksssss!   
I try!)) 

You guys really really make me happy! Anything you're dying to tell or ask me, yogurtgoddess@charter.net and I'm always dying for email ^-^ Hope you enjoy this chapter!   
Oh, and by the way, this chapter may not be written quite as well because I have to describe what happened in the last four years VERY briefly. Okay? Biya!   
  


It was in Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts when he sat on a chair in the Slytherin commons, mindlessly scribbling out an essay for potions. Snape really didn't care about the quality of the essay as long as it was there--or at least for the Slytherins. Harry had always been on the good side of Snape, he and Draco being the Potions geniuses that they were. In fact, they could always get extra materials from him, which only helped them with being the two most notorious tricksters in school. They made even the Weasley twins jealous! As he scratched away with his quill, his foot tapped unconsciously on the ground. 

Harry had pushed his desire for Draco out of the way years ago, although it still peeked out of its hole occasions. He had tried to put him out of his mind with one simple   
thought- Pansy. He talked about her to Draco all the time, and his smirking friend had told him there was one solution: tell the girl how he felt! Around the middle of their third   
year, Harry had admitted his crush on Pansy to her face. Pansy had enthusiastically stated her feelings for Harry, and- BAM. Instant couple. 

Amazingly ((and quite unexpectedly)) enough, the couple had lasted up until now. Harry wasn't quite sure why, though. He had never told anyone, but he just didn't like   
Pansy all that much. She was a great person, a great friend, but he recently realized that he just didn't love her. This was a confusing time is Harry's life- he was just trying to dig deeper, to figure himself out- find out who he really was. And although he knew that Pansy wasn't a part of that answer, he still stayed with her- he wanted stability and ease at the moment. No struggle, no change. 

He sighed as he wrote out yet another useless sentence. Why, if he was striving for stability and ease, was he longing for adventure? Something exciting, out-of-the-ordinary? He confused himself sometimes. 

Draco hopped off of his bed, grabbed his wand, and headed down to the common room. Flopping down the spiral staircase, he let out a rather large yawn, and stretched his arms above his head. Jumping energetically off the last step, he looked around the room, eager to start a new day. 

He saw Harry, sitting in a large chair working on his potions. Pansy was sitting halfway across the room, reading a book, and glancing up at Harry occasionally. She had a faint smile on her thin face, blood-red lips curving up ever so slightly to reveal large, dull teeth. Draco's gaze moved back to Harry. 

God, Harry. The one person Draco had ever really related to, the amazingly smart and witty boy with the raven hair, his soul mate, best friend. And bloody well attractive, a   
voice added in the back of his head. A slight frown appeared on Draco's face. He hated how those thoughts popped up every once in a while. He thought he had them   
controlled back in his first year, until last year when they became a problem again. 

Draco never really knew what to think about the matter- he was pretty sure he wasn't gay- he'd had his share of girls over the years- but there was always an attraction to   
Harry. He tried to convince himself earlier that Harry only had a feminine look about him, but he wasn't so positive anymore. He didn't know what was real and what wasn't anymore- nothing seemed to be right, everything to be wrong. Life could get so amazingly confusing; it didn't seem to be fair. He only wanted to figure things out. 

Pansy looked up from her book. "Hey there, Drakey . . . " The smile on her face was sickeningly wide. 

Draco half-smiled back. "Hi Pans. Catching up on your Charms homework?" 

She nodded, a disgusted look on her face. "It's awful, truly. I miss one day, and get assigned five chapters. FIVE CHAPTERS! Can you even believe that?" She sniffed   
loudly, glaring at the pages. 

She lifted her head, pouting up at Harry. "Think you could . . . cheer me up?" This earned a chuckled from Harry and a disgusted look from his blonde companion. "After quidditch practice, we could . . . "practice" . . . a bit on our own!" She winked at Harry, and set her hand up on his shoulder. Her tongue rolled heavily across her chapped lips and she stared at the boy, slipping back into her mouth as she began to talk. "Draco would probably be nice enough to leave you alone with me for a bit . . ." 

Draco rolled his eyes. "Great! Talk about me like I'm not even here! Maybe I'll just go to practice now without you, Harry, how would you like that?" 

Pansy, who was still staring, motionless, into Harry's eyes, murmured breathlessly, "Harry would like that verrrrrrry much, wouldn't he?" 

No, not really . . . he thought, but his mind told him that she wouldn't take that for an answer. "Yes he would," he chuckled, smirking back at her. 

Draco started to gag, and turned away. "Oh, give me a BREAK!" he grumbled. "Have you stopped acting all gushy yet? Can I turn around?" He tapped his foot impatiently. 

The sound of Harry chuckling seductively at Pansy gave two reactions to Draco- first, he felt like puking with this mushy lovey-dovey stuff the two were carrying on. He only wanted to go to practice! Secondly, it made a slight flutter in his stomach, and Harry's sexiness seemed to be jumping out and flailing about his thoughts. 

Pansy giggled back. "Okay, you can turn around now Draco." Draco looked back at the couple, who were now looking suspiciously innocent. 

"C'mon Harry. And snap out of it, by the way, you need to be alert to be a good seeker- don't want you daydreaming on the field again!" Draco commanded. 

Harry yawned. "'Course I will. Alright, I'm ready- we can go now." 

The two boys bid Pansy farewell, and walked out of the commons. They had been on the Slytherin quidditch team since their second year each. Harry was the seeker- a great one at that- and Draco was the keeper. Having the two most important jobs on the team, they tended to be the natural leaders- even the sixth and seventh years listened to them. They knew, however, that at the end of the year they would choose a new captain, and it would be one of the two. That could definitely bring more problems, but they decided together to cross that bridge when they get to it. 

After a walk filled with joking and talk, they reached the quidditch field. They stopped the chatter and began to warm up. As Draco mounted his broomstick, he stole a   
glance at Harry. Perhaps it could happen, he thought. I think I . . . I . . love him . . . or is love too strong of a word? Maybe it is, maybe it isn't . . . time will tell. 

Perhaps.   



	6. Not everyone's oblivious!

AUTHORS NOTE: Hiya! I'm getting this chapter out nice and early ^-^ It's EXTREMELY short, but it basically just skims over Ron and Hermione's lives the   
past couple years. Thanks again guys for reviewing! I couldn't do it without ya. Again, special thanks to Ines, and to my beta-reader Alita. You guys are   
the best! 

Natalie ((awwww, you cutie you! have no fear, everything will reveal itself in time . . .)), SoulSister ((don't worry, it won't last long! He's not happy anyway ^-^)), ClarKeRaVen   
((yes, I so agree)), Silver Saber ((awwww, thanks hon!)), Kotone ((I promise!)), Ines ((ohhhh, darling, thanksssss!)), CrystalStarGuardian ((hmmm, I'll have to think of a   
plot right away for a story with Star . . . ooh, I'm all EXCITED!!!!!)), black no. 1 ((ahhhh, thankees!)), Angelstar ((I will, soon! Yay!)) 

Enjoy!   


Ron Weasley looked at his Potions homework in disgust. Professor Snape seemed to hate each and every Gryffindor, especially him and Hermione Granger, his girlfriend   
now of two years. Being in a class with Potter and Malfoy didn't help either- it almost seemed like they were egging Snape on. Bloody teacher's pets . . . he thought, setting   
down his quill. "Hermione?" he called. 

Hermione looked up from her spot on the floor, where she was sitting and sharing some chocolate frogs with Parvati Patil. "Yes?" 

"Do you have your Potions homework done?" 

It was a silly question, and he knew it- of course she would have it done. She always finished her homework eons before anyone else. Ron didn't. "Of course, Ron, you   
know I do! What's the problem this time?" It was actually through her "homework help" that Ron ended up befriending Hermione, and during a late night "study session" when   
they realized how they felt about each other. 

Ron bit his lip, and looked pensively down at his paper. "Well, I-" He stopped mid-sentence. "Damn it, I forgot, I have to meet Fred and George- they were going to help   
me with something out by the quidditch field. Gotta run, bye!" 

"Hello, Ron!" Fred shouted, turning completely around. "A little late, huh?" 

George laughed. "I'd say you are! Hurry up, you git; we don't have all day!" 

Ron rushed over to the other boys, joining them. "Let's go then!" he said, walking out the doors to the field. 

As they neared the broom shed, they spotted Potter and Malfoy starting to warm up for Slytherin's practice. Potter was showing off on his broomstick again, swerving around the quidditch field. He was just as arrogant and hateful to Ron in the air as he was on land--Ron was no fool, he could see the amused yet disgusted looks Harry was sending him as he picked up his Cleansweep Five. 

Malfoy stood beneath him, taking his time to carefully stretch out the muscles in his arms. His eyes followed Harry like a hawk as he flew in a large circle around the field. Ron noticed that his eyes seemed to glaze over, and his head was turning effortlessly to follow Harry's motion. A slight smile was creeping over his face, yet it was also full of sorrow. Longing, you might say, Ron thought suspiciously. 

Suddenly, Ron put two and two together. Malfoy . . . Harry . . . Longing . . . His jaw dropped in shock. Surely this couldn't mean . . . 

Malfoy broke his gaze at Harry, suddenly looking worried and almost surprised with his action. He shook his head slowly, as if trying to clear all thoughts of the other boy. He stole one last painful glance in Harry's direction before mounting his broom. 

Ron stopped right in his tracks. "Oh my god!" he muttered to himself. 

"What was that?" Fred asked, not realizing the boy's words were not for him.   
  
"N-n-nothing!" he stuttered, looking in amazement at Malfoy, who was now casually taking off as if nothing had happened a moment ago. 

Fred furrowed his brow. "Are you okay, there?" 

Ron's jaw opened and closed a few times before he looked at Fred. "Errrrr, yeah . . ." he whimpered. 

"Bloody crazy!" Fred muttered, shaking his head as he walked away.   



	7. Comfort and love

Hiya! What's up? Having a lovely fanfic-reading day? Hope you are. ^_^ I'm VERY tired- Christmas shopping has worn me down!   
Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last Chapter- you guys mean a lot to me! I've had a very bad cold lately and haven't really found   
it in me to write, plus I've been spending some time on a new Harry/Draco fic, Just Another Midnight Escapade. If you liked this one,   
check it out! Ya see, I personally don't like Ginny so I wrote a story specifically for Harry to break her heart. But hey, I still kinda like   
her, so she gets Seamus. That's pretty good for a "kinda like", eh? Anyway, more on the story-- thanks to my beta reader Alita, you   
rock! Also to Natalie for being so nice about my fics! Yay! **claps** So I know the last chap was short, this should make up for it. 

Villain ((ahhhh, I love death threats!!! **thinks** that sounded rather odd, didn't it?)), angelstar, black no. 1, Evil Windstar, Klee   
((**gasp**- NOOOOO! I'M SORRY! I'm not forgetting you this time!)), Coriander, CrystalStarGuardian, Natalie, ClarKeRaVen,   
Prophetess of Hearts, DragonSoul, Ashna, Kristie, Basilisk, flynfish ((yup, you get on here twice! yay!)), and Liz Skywalker. 

Enjoy!!!!!   
  


Harry sat down for dinner, exhausted from the long day. Pansy was in the powder room, thank god- he was utterly sick of pretending all day that he was still in love with her. _Still?_ he thought. _How could I still be in love with her if I never loved her in the first place?_   
He groaned as he shoveled spoonfuls of mashed potatoes onto his plate. Maybe he did want change- most kinds of it would be better   
than this hell. _Wait, since when was this hell?_

Letting out a very large grunt, he threw his fork into his mashed potatoes. "Damn it!" he whispered to himself. 

Draco smirked. "Something on your mind there, Harry?" Harry looked up at him in surprise; he had completely forgotten anyone   
else had been there. His ears immediately began turning red. "The infamous red-eared Harry, hmmmmm. Something has to be up." 

Harry raised his eyebrow. "You're making me sound like Rudolph, shut up! And anyway, nothing is up. So there." 

Still smirking, Draco shook his head. "You expect me to believe that load of rubbish?". He chuckled. "Not bloody likely." 

"Leave me alone, Draco!" Harry ordered, trying to be stern but not able to restrain the silly grin that was creeping its way onto his   
face. 

"Nope! No way in hell!" he grinned, taking a huge bite out of his steak. "Come on, just tell me already! I'm not gonna leave you   
alone, and you know it," Draco mumbled sloppily, spraying miniscule bits of steak over the table. 

"Well maybe I will if you don't spit all over me again," Harry replied, wiping his face gently with his napkin. He looked pensively   
down at the table for a moment, then continued talking to Draco. "Alright, here's a deal- I'll tell you what I was thinking about in one   
month exactly, right before bed, if you . . ." 

"If I what?" he inquired. 

"Errrrr . . . if you go over to Ron Weasley right now and dump your pudding down his robe," Harry answered smugly. 

Draco laughed in the middle of a bite of his potatoes, again spewing bits of food on Harry. He swallowed quickly. "That's doing me a favor, Harry! Well, all the better. You're on!" He extended his arm, offering Harry his hand. Harry grinned back at him, shaking   
eagerly. 

I have nothing to worry about, he thought. A month from now he'll have forgotten all about this. Or at least he better, or I'm in for   
some trouble. I could never lie about this to Draco, it's against my principles. Damn it, what have I gotten myself into? He sighed   
deeply, watching Draco as he stood up from the Slytherin table and made his way over to Gryffindor.   


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

Harry lay in his bed, thinking about his promise to Draco. It was one week to the day he'd have to confess, and (contrary to his prior belief) Draco hadn't forgotten. In fact, he'd been nagging Harry for the past few weeks, each and every day. 

_Why did I make that stupid promise? _Harry wondered angrily. _And why am I going to go through with it? I only said it to shut him up and get a good laugh by humiliating that damn Weasley boy--I really, really shouldn't have done that. I'm crazy, I swear . . .___

A sudden shout snapped Harry to attention. _Was that Draco?_ he wondered, sitting up. _It sounds like it,_ he added to himself. Cautiously, he slipped through his curtains, grabbed his wand, and tiptoed over to Draco's bed, whispering "Lumos!" on the way. He paused for a moment, and could swear he heard crying coming from behind the curtains. Suspicious, he drew them apart, revealing Draco curled up in a ball beneath his covers, sobbing to the point where he hardly made a sound, shaking. 

"D-Draco?" Harry whispered meekly. "Are you okay?" 

Draco looked up at him, his bloodshot eyes showing deep sorrow. "Go away Harry, you don't need to see me like this," he sneered, trying to intimidate his friend, but pure emotion won over and was parading naked on his face. 

"No!" Harry whispered defiantly. He sat himself on Draco's bed, pulling his legs up and letting the curtains fall back into place. He whispered a silencing charm, wanting to be able to talk to Draco loudly. "I want to know what's wrong, now!" he demanded. 

Draco shook his head, still shaking with silent sobs. "Why?" he cried. "Why are you being so . . . nice, why do you care so much?"   
Harry looked confused. "You're my best friend, Draco! That's what friends are for! Don't your parents treat you like this? They love you . . ." Draco solemnly shook his head. "Well, I love you . . . as a friend." 

The last three words stung Draco like a slap. _So he doesn't feel the way I do?_ he wondered. _But seriously, do I really expect him to?_

"Draco, stop staring at me like that," Harry murmured passively. "Talk to me." 

Draco nodded. "I had . . . a nightmare . . ." His voice came out trembling and breathy. His breathing was fast and shallow, interrupting his speech in desperation. "So . . . realistic . . . Voldemort, and Lucius. . . my father . . . 

His head dropped, sinking into the downy comforter, looking away from Harry. "Go on," Harry said, putting a hand on Draco's shoulder. Draco's spine shivered at Harry's gentle touch, seemingly bringing a sharp jolt of electricity into his heart. He slowly raised his head to meet Harry's gaze. 

The passion in Harry's eyes, the concern--it was overwhelming. "The dark mark," Draco whispered, shuddering. "The made me do it, they put me under the . . ." 

He broke into tears again, unable to finish his sentence. "Don't worry, Draco, it was just a dream," Harry comforted, stroking Draco's shoulder. Had it been anyone else, Draco would have shrugged them off, but Harry's hand caressing his shoulder was one of the best consolations his frail body had ever known. 

"No it wasn't, Harry," he cried, "Don't you understand? They're going to claim me someday. When I'm not expecting it, they'll get me through my father, or another one of their disgusting people. They'll make me theirs, force their sick and twisted mark onto me. They have ways of making me do it, believe me, I've seen them all. My arm," he sobbed, pulling up his pajama sleeve, "won't be bare forever!" 

Looking back at Harry, he saw the raven-haired boy's eyes were glossy and red with tears, and a single salty stream was trickling down his cheek. "God, Draco, I'm so sorry. I thought . . ." 

They stared at each other for an awkward yet glorious moment before pulling each other into a comforting embrace. Harry's heart was beating amazingly fast, making him wish he'd never said "as a friend". _Why had I, anyway? It's not true . . . and I always try so hard to tell the truth, even if it hurts me! Arrrgh--why ,why, why?_

The two boys clung to each other, Draco sobbing desperately and Harry crying softly. They had never felt so alone in their lives, scared and vulnerable, yet they had never felt so unmistakably . . . together. 

Draco felt like he would explode with emotion as Harry rubbed his hand up and down his back--his feelings for his friend were now so obvious to himself, how could he have ever denied them? 

Harry craned his neck backwards, gazing into Draco's eyes. His wispy blond hair hung messily around his frightened face, angelic and pale even as he cried. His cold metal eyes now opened up, turning a deeper shade of blue, dark, wet eyelashes accenting them dramatically. His blood-red lips were trembling, parted slightly, expressing his fear. He looked so beautiful with his Harry's wand-light reflecting off of his hair, and his eyebrows raised ever so slightly. It took all the strength Harry had not to lean over and place his lips upon his mouth . . . . 

He realized then that he wasn't just crying because of the death eaters, he was crying because he finally realized and admitted to himself that he loved his best friend, Draco Malfoy, and hot only would he never be loved back, but Draco would be claimed by his greatest enemy, forced against everything he knew. It was too much too soon, Harry just couldn't take it. 

Being wrapped in Draco's arms was like Heaven and Hell all at once, a bittersweet feeling that Harry just couldn't trust. "Draco?" he whimpered. 

Draco pulled out of the hug. "Yes?" 

"I . . . have to go . . ." 

Draco looked, crestfallen, after Harry as he quickly slippedout of his bed, not leaving him time to respond, or even to say goodbye. He laid his head back on his pillows, sighing. _There's no way this could ever turn out with a fairy tale ending,_ he thought, crying himself to sleep.   



	8. New Beginnings

Hey, how about you read this thingy at the top? That would be cool ^_^ 

Hiya! Yup, it's me again! ((wow I'm a dork--who else would it be?)) So, how's life going for everybody? Good? Cool! Well, I've finally jumped up off of my   
ass and started to write . . . thank god. I've had sever writing block for a loooong time . . . it's actually still kinda here, but I decided that I'll never finish it at this point if I don't start now. Well, here it is! And, a note to everyone who said they wanted a background . . . don't worry! It'll unfurl itself in time. I'm also excited to see what happened. Frankly, I have no clue, and I'm kind of waiting for something to spill out onto the paper. That's what always happens, and it seems to be working pretty well so far! Ooooh, guess what? Yesterday I turned this story in for a grade to a class! I'm excited to see what I get. I've also updated previous chapters to make more sense of them ^_^ I have a few important things to say: 

1. Do you have any suggestions, ideas, or suspicions about what will happen next? I will love you forever if you write me, yogurtgoddess@charter.net, and   
tell me them! Who knows, they just might show up in the next chapter ^_^ 

2. If I started a mailing list for this fic and my other, how many of you would join? Just wondering, because many of you have asked me to tell you when my   
next chapter is up. Also if you want me to email you about new chapters, say so in your review or in an email to me. Thanks! 

Well, on to shoutouts. Thanks a billion to . . . Ksenia, TOm, Saotornealita, whitebearwrites, ILOVELINKINPARK222, Night Spirit, Marina, Klee, Yukito   
Kinomoto, Nikki J., Alyssa, Alita, Pythia, Laure, Sev's-Gurl, flynfish, Evil Windstar, Laura, Draco Malfoy N Harry Potter, Nora D, RisingStar, ClarKeRaVen,   
SoulSister, CrystalStarGuardian, Milady, TalieZ, Ashna, and black no. 1. Also, thanks to anyone else who read, but didn't get to review. You all mean so much   
to me! 

With no further ado, I give you chapter eight of Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps . . .   
  
  


Harry's version 

  
  


Harry's eyes snapped open quickly as he heard his wand buzzing noisily next to him. 

"Silencio!" he muttered groggily, quieting the raucous noise. He groaned, not wanting to face yet another boring morning with an over-excited Pansy. _And_   
_ god, what a dream I had last night . . . _ He let his eyes slip back shut, and rolled slowly onto his side. His well-enjoyed moment of rest was interrupted by a sharp burst of light forcing itself up on him. 

"What the . . ." he snapped irritably, sitting up and squinting. 

The curtains were shut again and a rather blurry smiling Draco was sticking the top half of his body through them. "I can't do this every morning, you know!"   
he smirked, handing Harry the glasses he had picked off the boy's bedside table. "You really have got to start trying not to sleep in!" 

Harry only scowled as he shoved his glasses on carelessly. "God, Draco, you're too much of a morning person!" 

Draco raised his eyebrows in response. "Oh, really? I thought the problem was that you weren't!" 

With that, he turned and parted the curtains. "Ahhh!" Harry cried softly, shielding his virgin eyes from the harsh sunlight. "Not so quickly!" Draco   
showed no response. "Draco?" Silence. "Draco???" 

With a flick of his silver-blonde hair, the tall boy seemed to walk distantly towards the staircase. "Hullo?" Harry asked, softly this time. He lowered   
his hand from his eyes, and watched Draco as he stopped at the top of the stairs, staring straight at the wall, into nothingness. 

Harry cautiously climbed off the bed, his gaze never leaving his friend. The noise from their fellow Slytherins seemed faint from across the room, almost as   
if it were nonexistent altogether. All Harry could hear were his heartbeat and his footsteps, almost collinear, seemingly flawless in rhythm. 

The gleam in Draco's hair was tantalizing, yet unobtainable--like a forbidden fruit, like Pandora's box. He wanted so badly just to run his fingers through   
it, to stare into those cold, gray eyes and search for meaning. The meaning he knew was there, the meaning that showed through last night. His head throbbed   
with want, perfectly aligned with his rhythm. The rhythm of his footsteps, the rhythm of his heart. Of his breath, his head, his need. 

All seemed to be pulsing in one steady beat, approaching the center of it's very life, closing in one the one point where it all seems to radiate from. He   
stopped just behind Draco, letting the rhythm control his body. One hand slowly reached up, trembling, moving towards Draco's prefect hair. It hovered in the   
air for a moment, just above his head. Harry closed his eyes and began to close in the space between his hand and the sleek blonde tresses that lay so gently   
before him. 

_No!_ shouted a voice in his mind, his eyes suddenly opening. His lips parted slightly in surprise as he realized that he was about to start petting his   
friend's head, fingers slipping gently through the strands of hair. His hand stood still in midair for a moment, awkwardly wondering where to go next.   
_ Shoulder_, the voice murmured. He lowered his arm until his hand finally rested on Draco's shoulder. 

The feeling of Draco's warmth reminded him of last night, being wrapped in his arms, weeping silently onto his robe. He had felt so close to Draco last night,   
what had happened to that comfortable feeling, that blessed familiarity? It had seemingly dissolved overnight, leaving Harry feeling horribly alone. 

He felt Draco's shoulder quiver slightly under his fingers, and then the muscles began to shift as Draco slowly twisted around to meet Harry's gaze. His   
eyes met Harry's, golden hair framing them perfectly, a few strands falling out of their perfect spot and resting upon his cheek. His eyes were bloodshot, a   
feature that Harry's untrained eye hadn't seen in the shadow of his curtains. Dark circles underlined them, telling Harry that he hadn't fallen asleep after   
Harry had left the previous night. They blinked at him in a sultry manner, practically begging him to give in to temptation. 

Harry was speechless. 

"Harry, you know I can't deal with life right now. I can try to conceal it, but this just keeps breaking through. I . . ." he trailed off, breaking their eye contact. 

Harry took a deep breath in. _Control, Harry, just control yourself!_ his mind whispered. "Draco?" 

The blonde boy looked up, his face deep and melancholy. "Screw defense against the dark arts. Let's take a walk." 

Harry nodded, heart racing, and followed Draco's lead down the staircase, not even bothering to throw on a robe.   


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

Draco's Version 

  
  


Draco shifted onto his back yet again. "One sheep, two sheep, three sheep, four sheep . . ." he whispered, rolling his head back and forth. _Damn it, I_   
_ know this won't work._

He had been awake since Harry left. The practically electrical shock Harry had left him in hadn't worn out yet, and at this rate he was afraid that it would   
take weeks. What time is it now? he thought, racking the hours in his brain. Scrambling his hand around on his bedside table, he grabbed a small clock. _Damn! Five thirty already! I should just spare myself this torture and go get ready early. I'll never fall asleep anyway._

He groaned, and sat up slowly. _God, I'm sore! Well, serves me right, I really should have gotten some sleep._

He parted his curtains and hopped out of bed. All throughout the time he was getting ready, his mind never wandered from Harry. "Crush" had become   
"obsession". Harry's lips, his eyes, his skin, his hair--his touch. They all sounded so amazingly . . . _Damn it, there's no way to describe it!_ Draco thought angrily. _Water, water, everywhere, and not a drop to drink . . ._

He examined his face carefully in the mirror hanging up on the wall. _Eyes? Red and puffy with big circles beneath them.. Hair?_ He cringed. _Not so good. Breath?_ He cupped his hand over his mouth and nose, attempting to get an idea. _As I thought, horrible. Well, better work on it! _ After sfixing himself up for the morning, he walked back over to his bedside table to check his clock. _Perfect! They should wake up in about five minutes._

As Draco sat on the end of his bed, waiting, Harry once again consumed his thoughts. He smiled faintly as he remembered Harry's childish pranks on Ron in   
his third year, and Ron's sad attempt at revenge. His thoughts then wandered to Harry's wild stories about his dreams in his first year. T_here was the one when_   
_ he got onto the quidditch team as a first year--and when he dreamt he was best friends with the weasel and the mudblood. Or what about that time when he called me a ferret, right out of the blue? Now that was good laugh. Harry, Harry, Harry. Always the one to entertain. _He shifted his weight, his grin twisting into a pensive position. _Hmmmm, Draco Potter? _He wrinkled his nose in distaste. _No. Harry Malfoy? _He cringed._ Even worse! Hmmmm, Harry Potter-Malfoy . . . Draco Malfoy Potter? Not too shabby!_

Draco's mouth cracked into a grin, but he was suddenly surprised by a chorus of buzzing wands. "Yahh!" he exclaimed softly, obviously startled. "Damn it,   
silencio!" The wand on his bedside table suddenly stopped. He heard other mutterings of "Silencio!" from across the room, and one by one the wands   
stopped. The curtains of most of the beds had parted and revealed a sleepy teenage boy by now. In fact, every bed except . . . Harry's. 

Draco quickly checked his reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall. His eyes were still bloodshot and dark. _Oh well, maybe he won't notice. Or at least I hope so.___

The buzzing from Harry's bed had stopped, yet he hadn't come out yet. _Okay, Draco, just smile, go and wake him up. _He approached Harry's bed with newborne vigor, and anxiously drew Harry's curtains. The sleeping raven-haired boy behind them sat up, squinting. "What the . . ." 

Draco laughed at Harry's startled reaction, letting the curtains close at his waist. "I can't do this every morning, you know!" Suddenly he remembered that he had picked up his friend's glasses that morning off of his bedside table, intending to offer them when he awoke. He reached up to the collar of his robe and slipped the glasses out, handing them to Harry. "You really have got to start trying not to sleep in!" 

Harry only scowled as he shoved his glasses on carelessly. "God, Draco, you're too much of a morning person!" 

Draco had to restrain his oncoming chuckle. _No, I'm more of a "stay-up-all-night-thinking-about-snogging-your-best-friend" person. _"Oh, really? I thought the problem was that you weren't!" 

He turned and slipped back out the curtains, pulling them wide open to help wake Harry up. He heard a startled cry from Harry, followed by something else; but he wasn't really listening. _So far so good. I know I can do this, mum always told me when I was little I had a flair for the dramatic. I can act, and pretty damn good. Now if I can just keep it up . . . just as long as I don't pounce on him in mid-sentence. Or worse, get all misty-eyed. Not that he could tell, anyway. They're so bloodshot. Oh, shit. What have I done? I'm in love with him, I can't believer it. I can't just sit here and pretend like nothing's happening!___

Draco thought he heard Harry calling his name in the background, but he ignored it. He began to walk slowly forward. _It doesn't matter where I go, I just have to get away. Straight. That's a good place to start. Just close your eyes, take one step at a time. Think of Harry. Think how he'll hate you if he ever caught you stealing a sidelong glance at him, if he ever found out. Think of your father, of the pain he'd cause you, the pain he'd cause Harry. He'd disown me, turn against me. I'd be as good as dead.___

_ That's it. I have to tell him. Now.___

He stood facing the staircase, staring into the wall. As he was about to turn, he froze. He felt the presence of something near his head. Focusing now on his surroundings, he heard a heavy breathing near his ear. The electricity that prickled through his neck . . . _It must be Harry.___

The presence moved, shifting down his neck and to his shoulder. He felt hot contact, a vibrant feeling of love and lust clouding his muscles, heat taking his face and chills taking his spine.__

_ Take a step towards life.___

He twisted back to meet Harry's gaze. It was so soft, so gentle, so caring. There was so much inexplicable good in him, yet so much mystery and so much more. He sported a worried expression, lips slightly twitching in lack of inspiration. Draco knew when to follow his impulses. He opened his mouth, and spoke. 

"Harry, you know I can't deal with life right now. I can try to conceal it, but this just keeps breaking through. I . . ." He looked away, nervously. _God, that didn't come out right!_

Harry stumbled upon unspoken words, looking like he had caught a glimpse into something new, yet had no words to put down what he meant. "Draco?" 

Draco looked up as his stomach leaped around like five-year-old on a tramploline. "Screw defense against the dark arts. Let's take a walk." 

With that he turned back around and started down the staircase, beckoning for Harry to follow him. And he did. 


	9. Hanging on a cliff edge . . .

  
Hiya! Welllllllllcome back! I decided to get this next chapter out nice and quickly, just to be nice. 

Well, about the mailing list—it's up! Yup, go join it at yahoogroups. The name of the group is "hpperhaps", and feel free to come and join ASAP! And not only will we discuss my fanfic, but your own fanfics, fanart, and anything Harry Potter. Sounnnnnd good? I think so! Go join today! 

Anyway, I could not be happier with all the review I'm getting on this. It really means a lot to me, so you guys really rock. So I give my special thanks to: 

ILOVELINKINPARK122, Draco Malfoy N Harry Potter, Ashna, Evil Windstar, Angelstar, Crazy one with Neko ears, Jeanie, Karina, Seven Stones, Prophetess of Hearts, CrystalStarGuardian, Klee, Scratches, ClarKeRaVen, Angel Of Death, flynfish, Kate, TOm, Griffingirl 

Also a big round of thanks to DiDi Khatib, my first inspiration, lol; anyone else who read and didn't review; and all of my friends who told me I was insane and what I write is disgusting 'cause it's slash--you amuse me, and give me motivation-- I write to show you that slash ISN'T bad. Thankss again to everyone! 

Enjoy! 

~Lauren   
  


Draco tugged on Harry's shirt sleeve, pulling him quickly down the staircase. In any other situation, Harry would have complained, but today was different.   
Today he had connected with Draco, felt some unseen energy, known some unfound fact. He felt his friend's hand reach down from his smooth sleeve and search frantically for his fingers, grasping his hand needily. The tension that had risen in that one moment, that pivital second, was engulfing them both, leading them in frantic silence to the main hall, then to the doorway, and out to the forbidden forest. They shared naught a word, but none were needed, for the feeling of each other was all they would need. 

As soon as the last sliver of Hogwarts disappeared behind a dark, rough trunk, Draco let his clammy fingers reluctantly drop Harry's. He brought his hand up to his forehead, and clasped his side with the other one. "Side ache," he gasped slightly. "Ow!" 

Harry smiled shakily at Draco, eyes catching on the beads of sweat resting on the edge of his hairline. _Too damn good-looking, he is. God, I'm alone in the forest, horny, with my best friend that I'm overwhelmingly attracted to . . . life is too difficult. Even the sweat on his forehead is turning me on! God, Draco, just get it over with, it's so hard to resist temptation . . ._

Draco looked back up at Harry. "Well, I suppose you're wondering why I dragged you out here," he muttered, biting his lip. His hands dropped and clasped together, squirming nervously as if they wanted to leap right off the ends of his arms. Looking up, he realized that his raven-haired crush was gazing right at them, an un-readable expression forming on his face. He quickly dropped his hands to his sides, and Harry glanced back up. 

"Errrr, yes, as a matter of fact I was," Harry drawled, a smirking slightly. "It's not every day that you drag me spontaneously out of bed and into the forbidden forest for a 'walk'." 

Draco's face had now drained of all color that his pale skin had ever possessed, and Harry could see the boy's chest rise up and down in frantic breath. _Damn it, I shouldn't have done this, I'm such a git . . . _"It's just that there's something that's been on my mind lately, and I really need to tell you. I can't keep it to myself any longer. You . . . you probably don't agree, but . . . " 

Harry cocked one eyebrow. His mind told him to act like he wasn't nervous, but he was. God, he was. In his dreams, at least, this would be the moment where Draco slammed him down to the ground and ravaged him, right on the spot. _You know he's not going to confess some life-long love for you, you daft prick! Stop letting your imagination run away with you! _he tried to tell himself, but to no avail. _It'll be some silly little thing. It's nothing._ His face showed he was convinced, but his mental voice weakened as the second progressed. _ Nothing at all . . .___

"Hurry up then!" he chuckled lightheartedly, hiding all signs of nervousness. Draco's eyes widened, and he gulped. 

"Harry, I . . ." he started, staring into the boy's eyes . . .   
  
  
  


HA! I'M LEAVING YOU THERE! **cackles insanely** AND I'm going to Florida for a week ((national dance team competition! woooo!)) so I won't be able to update! **does a happy evil dance** For now, you can all go   
**cough**   
JOIN! MY! MAILING! LIST!   
**cough**   
and discuss what you think is going to happen next. 

Will Draco tell Harry the truth?   
Will he make something else up at the spur of the moment?   
Will they be interrupted?   
Will Draco faint ((etc))?   
Will something else happen? 

((frankly, even I don't know yet . . . )) 

Well, sorry that chapter was SO short, but I wanted to get what I had done up before I left for Florida, so . . . biya! See y'all later!   
~Lauren ((HPMystery)) 


	10. A Little Bit of Elfsbaum Goes a Long Way...

WOW! Thank you EVERYBODY for being so nice! **huggles her fans** Guess what? I got an A PLUS on my story in English class! I couldn't have been happier! That has totally motivated me to get this next ((vital)) chapter up for all of you guys, so here it is. But first, I'd like to thank some people: 

Mal-Kitsune, Hermione Granger, Jade, Ashna, wow, hpfan12, nearly distant, Pink, harrysgirl, mandraco, Griffingirl, DaigonAlley, flynfish ((lol natalie, I was typing that out and I accidentally wrote the "fish" as "fisch" at first--another side affect of my pathetic obsession with eric fischer last year . . . I was so young . . . )), Morien, Dark Mistress, ClarKeRaVen, MiStReZz UnKnOwN, Draco Malfoy n Harry Potter ((yes, the title for that chap WAS based on that premise ^_^)), coriander, ILOVELINKINPARK222 The All Powerful Bob of Cheese, SoulSister, shadowofthevampireangel, Han, Prophetess Of Hearts, yeh4me, bunnyb, maeve, Klee, Laure, DragonSoul, CrystalStarGuardian, Scratches, the-princess-bard, mbali motladile, whitebearwrites, Ma++eL. 

Aaaaaaand of course my wonderful friends, family, and Mr. Poss who rocks for giving me an A+. 

Hey! To those of you who haven't already, and who like my story, come join my mailing list!   
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hpperhaps/   
Lol, right now there are only 4 members ((including me)) so I'm hoping to get some more **coughHINTcough** 

Hey, one final alert to those of you who haven't gotten the drift already. . . it's SLASH! That's male/male relationships! Somebody MAY or MAY NOT be getting a tiny bit of action in this chapter, but be prepared for the "worst" ((or I'd say the "best" ^_^)) 

Well, It seems as though you all want this chapter, so with no further ado, I give you chapter ten of Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps . . .   
  
  


"Harry, I . . ." he started, staring into the boy's eyes . . . _am an idiot! _he finished his sentence in his head. _Better just get it over with . . .___

He gulped, and continued . . . "I . . . don't feel too well." _No, Draco, you git! Why didn't you just confess? You feel fine!___

Harry nodded, his brow wrinkling in concern. "We have time--it's not like we'd want to catch the last half an hour of class. We'll have detention either way. Maybe you should . . . lie down," he suggested, tugging gently on Draco's shirt sleeve and leading him to a large patch of grass and moss next to a tree. "This look comfortable enough?" 

Draco nodded, grimacing. _Well, that's it. I blew it! The chance of me telling him how I feel has shrunken down to the size of a raisin._ Harry grabbed both of Draco's hands and helped lower him down onto the ground, sitting quickly when the task was finished. "I'm sure we can find something here in the forest that can make you feel a bit better. What's the matter?" 

Draco quickly searched his head for a random illness. "I've got an upset stomach--that calls for elfsbaum, right?" 

Harry grunted in reply; he was already squatted over the ground a few feet away, looking fervently for something that might serve as medicine. Draco gazed at his concerned expression, waiting for his friend to return with the elfsbaum. _He looks so beautiful when he's worried, _Draco thought dreamily. _God, I wish I could just sit here all day, staring at him. Come to think of it, it's a good thing I didn't tell him how I felt--there's no way in hell he'd return my feelings; I'd never be able to talk to him again. I could never have a moment like this--a moment to gaze at him behind this veil that's known as friendship, his virgin eyes not seeing through to pierce my own. His presence would hide me in shame, this friendship would break. I'd become bitter like my father--and that's the last thing I need right now.___

Harry's head popped up brightly. "Here's some!" He plucked it from the ground, and walked back to Draco. He dropped to his knees in front of the boy, and leaned over his head. "Are you feeling any better at all?" 

A laugh suddenly rose to Draco's throat. "My my, Harry, you're acting a tad too much like Madame Pomfrey. And no, I'm not feeling any better." _Yet another lie. Is that all it will be from now on?_

Harry's ears burned a dark red, a trait that still stuck with him all these years. Before he could answer, Draco added, "By the way, if your ears turn any redder I'll have to accuse you of sporting Gryffindor colors. Hurry up, now, give me that elfsbaum!" 

Harry handed the plant over to Draco, who immediately began to chew on the tip. "Hope this works," Harry sighed. He watched on as Draco leaned his head back into the moss and closed his eyes, chewing lazily. 

"Damn right it will," Draco murmured. "This elfsbaum isn't half bad, you know. Tastes a bit like toffee." 

Harry nodded, and stood up, stretching his cramped legs. His eyes scanned the forest for any approaching danger, and caught on something. _A movement . . . what was that? _"Err, Draco?" he asked timidly, blindly taking a few steps back. 

Draco's eyes snapped open, and he looked up. "Yeah?" 

"I . . . I think I saw a movement in the forest!" Harry stuttered, eyes widening. "Y-you think maybe it's a werewolf, or something?" _God Harry, be brave, just like in your dreams!_ When Harry was asleep he managed to do heroic things--saving people, killing monsters, all sorts of things. But when he was awake, it was a different story. _No wonder I'm not in Gryffindor,_ he thought. 

Draco chuckled. "C'mon Harry, even if it _was_ a werewolf, we could handle that! You _know_ my father has taught me in the dark arts." 

Harry's head shook slightly. "I'm not so sure about that, Draco." _Oh, come on, I can do this! Maybe if I manage to gather my courage and get through this, I can move on to bigger things!_ He stared wistfully off in Draco's direction. _Like confessing my feelings . . . _"I can go further a bit and look if you'd like me to," he stated. 

"Is that really neccessary?" Draco drawled,but his words were in vain. Harry already had a determined glint in his eye, there was no way in hell Draco could stop him now. 

Harry boldly took one step; after its success, he tried another. _This just might work!_ he thought, determined. _Keep going!_ His foot raised again, but before it could really reach the ground . . . 

_Root. Falling. Shit. _Only those three words processed in his mind before he hit the ground. _Wait, this is much too soft to be ground!___

He looked up to see a smirking Draco inches away from his face, which was resting on the blonde boy's chest. "That was touching," Draco chuckled. _In more ways than you could imagine, Harry,_ he added in his mind. 

_My GOD he's close,_ Harry though, smiling awkwardly. _Well, might as well take advantage of the situation. . .___

"Laugh all you want, Draco, but my arm landing rather oddly . . . I think it's broken." He said, jiggling his shoulder. _Let's see if he falls for this,_ he slyly thought. "Ow! I can't get up properly." 

Draco had to use all of his strength not to whoop happily. _Stuck in the forbidden forest with Harry on top of me--this day is turning out to be better than I thought! _"Really? Here, let me help." He started to lift his arm up to help Harry, but then widened his eyes in a look of--he hoped, at least--surprise. "Whoah . . . this elfsbaum is kicking in . . . hold on a second." 

Harry's stomach took one giant leap, then pulled back into place. _It's so hard to be so close, and yet so far. Damn. _He studied Draco's face closely as the boy wedged his hand between Harry's chest and his stomach, trying to ignore the searing heat that seemed to radiate from the touch. Draco's grimace was a beautiful one--or as beautiful as a grimace could get. Even in ((what Harry thought was)) pain, he seemed to be so graceful, so cunning and gorgeous. His skin was a white contrast against the colorful green behind his head, and his light hair was speckled with dirt and pieces of grass. _He almost looks peaceful, even now. Always amazing me, he is.___

The "grimace" disappeared from his face, leaving his staring into Harry's eyes. "I'll try to . . help . . you . . now . . ." he whispered breathlessly ((Harry thought the breathiness was from the elfsbaum--little did he know)). His hands moved to the sides of Harry's arms, gripping tightly, yet softly. He had gently hoisted Harry with his arms about a half a foot into the air when a piece of grass fell off of Harry's hair and onto his neck. Suddenly, his arms gave way, and Harry fell back down against him, his head even with Draco's this time. 

Draco looked up at Harry less than an inch away from his face, and muttered, "Sorry . . . ticklish . . ." 

Harry gazed back down, amazed at their closeness. He lowered his head slightly, so their foreheads slightly touched. "It's quite alright by me," he whispered back. The two boys seemed to be caught in each others gaze like butterflies in a net--each equally mesmerized by the other ones touch, electric shivers jolting through their bodies, the forest disappearing from beneath them; then they fell into that endless chasm, the one we call love. They could feel each others presence there, they knew that they weren't alone. 

For the first time in years, Draco wasn't alone, and he wasn't afraid. Determined now to finish what he had began a few minutes ago, he closed his eyes, and raised his jaw slightly. Their lips finally touched, crossing that long-lasting gap, an overdue welcome dissolving like sugar. As he felt Harry's lips move against his, he knew that there was no need for words, no need for him to confess awkwardly to a blank stare, no need for discomfort. There was only them, everything else would work around it. It had to, there was no other way. His lips were on fire as they carressed Harry's, his heart not far behind. 

And Harry knew that it would work. He felt his bottled-up feelings release themselves as he slipped his toungue into Draco's mouth, searching for an answer to months of wondering. He knew that he would find the answer if he looked hard enough--but it wasn't neccessary. He had known all along that it came in the form of a certain Slytherin that he happened to be mounted on top of at the moment, snogging the hell out of. 

As he felt Draco's hands reaching up to clasp around his neck, he felt a tear slip out of his closed eye. It would be the last tear for Draco's love yet, the first tear. The end and the beginning. And as much as the answer lay here, the problem did too.   
  


^_^ 


	11. Revealation

NO! That WASN'T the last chapter! **cheering is heard from the background** And there IS going to be much more! **flowers are thrown about** 

Just in case you have no clue--they're not mine. I don't think anyone in this story is. They're all J. K. Rowling's-- unfortunately. **sniffsniff** 

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT! I couldn't have done it without you ^_~ Y'all rock my socks. Special thanks to the lovely people that reviewed: 

Yashshii-Soshite-Mujaki, DracoGranger, Nora D, Stephanie, Shoujo Kitsune, yeh4me!, baby chan, franthephoenix, Draco Malfoy N' Harry Potter, hpfan 12, flynfish, DaigonAlley, coriander, ClarKeRaVen, Avada Kedavra, Scratches, ILOVELINKINPARK222 The All Powerful Bob of Cheese, SoulSister, Pink, Klee, Ashna, Han, CystalStarGuardian, Prophetess of Hearts, karina, ^_^, Phoenix, wow, Griffingirl, Wolf of Cherry Blossom, Yashshii-Soshite-Mujaki, sara, HerbieWerbie, matt 

I expect to take this for perhaps ((no pun intended)) five more chapters, then a sequel is in tow. If you haven't already, I'd really appreciate it if you'd join my mailing list! It would mean a lot to me, and you'd get to know when I update, suggest or ask me anything, talk amongst yourselves, have fun, and. . . and yeah! It's kind of dead right now, so come and spice it up! 

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Just a last warning, for those of you bone-headed enough not to realize it yet, this is SLASH! That means a male/male relationships. Homophobes, kindly take your hats and scoot. No, with no further ado, I give you chapter eleven!   
  
  
  


Harry awoke with a start. His green eyes were wide, his forehead drenched in sweat. _God, please tell me it wasn't all a dream, please tell me it was real! _he thought, very awake and _very_ alert. _ No, tell me it WAS a dream, tell me it won't ruin things. Tell me it means nothing, tell me I never felt that--tell me my life won't be made infinitely harder. That his lips never touched mine, that we didn't kiss. God, please tell me we won't have to ruin our friendship--that we won't be harrassed. Just make this easy for me._

Draco shivered uncontrollable under his sheets in the next bed. His thoughts were clouded with flashes of raven hair and emeralds, branding lightning-bolt scars into his conscious. All he could hear was Harry's murmuring, his laughing, his silence as they slipped out of their beds to steal a midnight kiss. His blinded eyes saw Harry's sweet lips wet with spit, moaning into his own. His mind was in ecstasy just sitting there and thinking, but the nagging thought of his father hung at the back of his head. The disappointment and malice Lucius had showed him for befriending the famous Harry Potter had turned into inspiration years ago, when he discovered the usefullness of having a watchful eye on the enemy. _Why does life have to be so damn complicated?_ he groaned to himself, wishing that he could show the world his affection for Harry. Christmas break was coming up soon, and he knew he'd have to go home and face his father. How difficult it would be . . . 

A cough was heard from across the room, making both boys turn their heads. There was a rustling, and then two soft thuds as feet plopped onto the hard floor. Footsteps were heard for a second, then paused. Another rustling sound was heard, and then repeated itself. Two more thuds sounded, and two sets of footsteps walked across the room, barely audible--as if their owners were on tiptoe. They started padding down the stairs. 

Just then and idea dawned upon both Harry and Draco at once. They pulled apart their curtains and stepped out of their beds, only to draw up face to face. They each gasped quietly. 

"Draco?" "Harry?" they said simultaneously. They stared at each other, eyes wide, for a brief moment. 

Draco finally broke the silence. "What in heaven's name are you doing up?" he demanded, raising one eyebrow. 

"I could ask the same to you!" Harry exclaimed, throwing his arm into the air. 

"Well, I was going to see where those footsteps were heading!" Draco mumbled defensively. 

"Well so did I! There, we're even," Harry smiled. 

There was silence. In the shock of seeing eachother in the middle of the night, both of them seemed to have forgotten what terms they were on. They looked at each other more intensely each second, beginning to remember, as if they had some tangible connection through their thoughts. Draco stepped forward slowly, and Harry followed his lead. Their lips barely touched, yet a jolt of pleasure shook them both. 

_It's as if we don't even need to touch . . . _Harry gasped in his mind. _Like we have an understanding, a binding . . ._ Their heads drew apart and their eyes fluttered open, gazing back in equal fervor. "Please," whispered Draco, "Don't stop--not now. Never stop." 

They leaned back in and re-initiated the kiss, this time pressing into eachother with renewed passion. Draco's arms slipped around Harry's waist, and Harry's arms rose to pull Draco's head into his own. 

Harry was just getting into the kiss when he heard a small squeak. Draco seemed to have heard it too, for they both broke apart and looked to the side at the same time. 

Crabbe and Goyle stood near the foot of the bed, horrified expressions on their faces. "Eeep! You . . I . . . what . . . KISSING!" Goyle squeaked. Crabbe just nodded half consciously. 

Draco quickly drew his arms back from Harry's waist. "Please, guys--keep it down, don't wake anyone. I--I . . . I don't know what to say," he mumbled. 

Goyle looked mortified. "Well, you could start by explaining something! Hell, explain _anything_!" 

Harry fidgeted with his robes. "Ermm, you see . . . well, Draco and I . . . " He sighed impatiently. "Please, don't tell anyone, okay?" 

Crabbe finally spoke up. "That's so . . . so . . . disgusting!" he spat, his eyes narrowing into slits. His eyes that once filled with respect for his friends were cold with malice and hatred. Harry saw his head shake slightly as his face started to turn red. Crabbe's hands were clenched in fists, his knuckles showing white, trembling. "You make me sick, you fucking fags!" 

"No!" cried Draco, looking straight at Crabbe with misty eyes. Harry had never seen Draco with eyes so morbid, so horribly sober yet entirely intoxicated. "You're my friend! You're . . . . you're my friend," he whimpered. "Friends don't care about stuff like that." He shook his head warily. "Please, no." 

Crabbe's lip curled. "You make me sick," he repeated, turning and walking to his bed. 

Draco lowered his head and let out a low cry as a tear rolled down his cheek. Goyle watched Draco in amazement, utterly speechless. Never, in his wildest dreams, could he imagine Draco crying. He had always imagined Draco as a man of confidence, of steel and ice. It shook him to see emotions actually showing in his always sneering face. 

Harry rose his hand slowly, and set it on Draco's back, only to have it shrugged away. "Draco--" Harry started softly. 

"No!" Draco interrupted "Leave me alone. I can't . . just . . . " He broke out into abother sob. "Just leave me alone." 

Harry nodded, and looked at Goyle. Goyle shrugged sadly, and sauntered off to bed, scratching his head. Draco slipped back into his bed, still sniveling softly, and Harry had never felt more remarkably alone. His eyes had stayed, miraculously enough, relatively dry through the whole ordeal, and his mouth had never let forth a cry; yet he was filled with an emptiness, a feeling that he could only think of one word to describe: overwhelmed. 

He stood, facing nothingness for a moment, thinking about nothing, yet everything at once. The world had crumbled around him, but he himself was still intact. He watched, untainted, through a cherry-blossom window, a paper dragon spring to life. The sun rose three times that morning.   
  
  
  
  


Sorry for such a short chapter! This took me forever to write, too . . . yeah, I'm a dork. Please reviewwwww! I'll love you forever. And join my mailing list, then I'll love you even more ^_~ 


	12. Of Duels, Snogs, and Memories

Hiya everybody! Good to be back again . . . I decided to kick back after that last chapter right away, and throw in the next one. So get ready, herrrreeeeeeee we go! 

Special thanks go out to everyone that reviewed: 

Yonaka no Inu-Ryuu, Arabwel, HoshiShoujoKageShinigamiBUNNYB, Hestia, franthephoenix, muffin, Gumlick The Rickmaniac, akira, Shila, flynfish, HerbieWerbie, Arabwel, Stephanie, MOI, RisingStar, the-princess-bard, Evil-Chicken-Wrath, Gryffingirl, Avada Kedavra, SaturnsFirefly, Wolf Of Cherry Blossom, CrystalStarGuardian, whitebearwrites, Klee, superhan, coriander, SoulSister, Draco Malfoy N Harry Potter, Hippy Flower(in trouble with Voldie cause he says I lack the ambition to be his heir and an evil dark lord), and Destiny's Prophet. 

Also special thanks to everybody on my mailing list, to Natalie for egging me on in health class, to everybody who I've been keeping touch with recently, and to Ryan, the cutie, for beta-reading my story and being just pretty damn cool in general. My apologies for making the last chapter so short--I'll try to lengthen this one out a little bit. ^_^ 

Hey! You! Have you joined my mailing list yet? Yes, you! No? You HAVEN'T?!?!?!? **gasps** Well, by all means, join! Right now! You get to find out when I update, talk about the story, talk about harry potter in general--hell, talk about ANYTHING--hang out with really cool people, and . . . have fun! Maybe if we get more people in there, people will actually talk. ^_~ 

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And if you're not going to join, at least go check it out before you make up your mind. By the way--we need somebody on the list to make us a logo of some sorts--anybody interested, join and contact the group! 

I'm really excited about this chapter . . .my muse came back and threw a long chapter in my face. Yayyyy! Well, don't forget to join the list! Thank you, and with no further ado, I give you chapter twelve. ^_^   
  
  
  


Harry Potter stood in the potions doorway, wanting with all his heart to just shrivel up and die. He felt   
delighted in the forest when he realized he wasn't alone; he felt enchanted by a stolen midnight kiss; he even felt   
overwhelmed by an unexpected interruption, but this was just ridiculous. The agony that seized his mind when Draco rushed   
by him was unbearable. After their desperate confessions, their passionate looks, their encounter with pain from   
approaching footsteps the night before, Draco still managed to give Harry the coldest of shoulders. 

Harry sighed slowly, not wanting to go back to his seat next to a certain blonde someone. _If Draco keeps up_   
_this mind game, I don't know what will come of us, _Harry thought. His skin crawled suddenly as he noticed Crabbe and Goyle   
seated a few seats behind Draco. Crabbe gripped his wand tightly in his fist and looked positively disgusted. The sneer   
he was sending Draco behind his back would make Voldemort's skin crawl. Goyle sat nervously by his side, inching slowly   
away from his maddened friend. _Poor Goyle,_ Harry thought as he directed his gaze away from the two boys, _now isn't the best_   
_time to sit next to Crabbe._

He started to slowly walk back to his seat, trying not to look at a certain Slytherin for fear of breaking out   
into . . .well, something. Things had been so stiff between them this morning; the tension in the air was practically   
tangible. During breakfast, their table had been unusually silent, and when Harry timidly tried to start a conversation,   
Crabbe only raised an eyebrow and looked the other way. It was so painful to have one of his few good friends so   
angry with him, so disgusted, it nearly drove him to tears. 

Crying. The concept was as much a part of Slytherin as the colors green and silver. Echoes could always be heard   
late at night in the Slytherin dorms--a piercing wail, a muffled sob, a perpetual sniffle. It came from all over--girls   
and boys, first years to seventh. Their parents' persistent attempts to have them join the dark side were rather scarring,   
and if not your parents, it was your friends. Misery loves company, and miserable they were. They fell, one by one, and   
they took each other with them. Only the strong and the smart ones stayed away from Voldemort. Crabbe and Goyle   
had fallen--they got their marks at the end of the fourth year. Harry, however, still couldn't bring himself to join the forces   
that killed his parents, and that was enough to make Draco resist. 

This flashed through Harry's mind as he sat down quickly onto his seat. His heart sank when Draco didn't say   
hello, but his hopes rose when Draco gave him a knowing glance, one that told him that it was just a front, showing eyes   
that longed to watch him, a nose that longed to memorize his scent, and lips that longed to caress his skin. And with   
that, he held on that much longer. 

Just then, an excited looking house-elf burst into the room, running over to Snape's desk and handing him a   
roll of parchment. Snape unrolled it, and his eyes quickly scanned the paper. He sighed, standing up. "I must leave the   
room for a few minutes. It seems there's been a problem in Flitwick's class, and I have to run   
over a shrinking potion." He began walking towards the door, then paused and turned back. "Behave yourselves," he   
snapped, his eyes glaring daggers around the classroom. 

A murmur rustled the room, and the two sides seemed to separate even more distinctly into Slytherin and   
Gryffindor. Harry was turning around to call over Pansy when he felt something wet hit him right below his ear. He looked   
for the source, only to see a sniggering Crabbe, wiping his mouth suspiciously. 

"What was that?" Harry demanded loudly of the larger boy, turning completely around. "Was that spit?" 

Crabbe stood up from his chair. "Yes, it was--although now I wonder why I wasted my own precious saliva on   
such a freak like you." 

He said this so loud that all the Slytherins and half the Gryffindors looked up in puzzlement. "Crabbe,   
insulting Potter? Harry Potter?" murmured by everyone in seemingly every direction. "But I thought they were friends," a   
few voices said. Harry joined Crabbe in standing up, each glaring the other, face-to-face. 

"Didn't know you knew words that big, Crabbe." Harry retorted. "Maybe your brain is actually starting to show   
up." 

Crabbe's face turned red. "Well . . . well . . ." He obviously couldn't think of a comeback, so he tried the   
next best thing: "I challenge you to a duel!" 

Harry nodded and walked to the front of the classroom, with Crabbe behind him. The room was completely silent   
now, and everyone was watching them. Harry turned, put his hand on his wand, and nodded. 

Draco's eyes fixed on Harry as the boy whipped out his wand. There was a glare full of malice crossing Harry's   
face, a darker side that Draco was sure he had never seen before, as he looked up at his opponent, and Crabbe returned the   
deadly gaze for a moment. Harry raised his wand quickly, but to everyone's surprise, Crabbe was faster. 

"Expelliarmus!" he grunted gravely, swishing his wand to the side and up. Harry was knocked off his feet, his   
wand flying swiftly to Crabbe's outstretched hand. Harry hit Snape's desk with a sickening crack, knocked unconscious too   
quickly to cry out in pain. 

The room was silent. "You bastard . . ." Draco started, breaking the silence and trying to run towards   
Crabbe. Goyle shot out a chubby arm to hold Draco back. 

"No, Draco, don't get yourself into this!" 

Draco shoved Goyle off his arm and drew back angrily. "Don't you get it, Greg? I'm already into this. I'm   
more into this that any other conscious person in the room!" 

His eyes burned into his confused classmates as he looked around the room. He shook his head as he began to   
pace. Letting out a small laugh, he began to speak. "Such a pansy-ass way to fight a duel, Crabbe." (A forgotten Pansy   
Parkinson in the corner turned bright red at the unintentional pun.) "Expelliarmus on the first blow. Should have known   
that you couldn't think of anything else." He walked over to Harry, almost flauntingly…temptingly. All eyes followed him;   
all ears heard only the sound of his hard, black shoes clicking against the dungeon floors, echoing off the walls. 

He knelt next to Harry, stroking the bump that steadily grew on his forehead. "Your spitefulness, your   
prejudice—just leading up to hurting my…my lo…" He took a deep breath. "My friend." 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

Harry's head was whirling. _What happened? Oh yes, the duel with Crabbe . . . shortest duel I've seen in_   
_ages. Knowing Crabbe, I'm not surprised he couldn't do anything difficult. Where am I now? _ He frowned, looking around   
him. _ Damn. No help at all._ He tried to move his arm up to feel his forehead, but he couldn't move. He quickly realized   
that he had no arm to move, which, quite frankly, explained a lot--how he'd felt neither pain, nor even slight annoyance or   
panic. His glasses were gone, yet he couldn't tell if his vision was clear or not. There was only   
whiteness--nothingness. It was somehow disturbing, yet oddly calming at the same time. 

Suddenly, a familiar scene, something that had haunted his dreams for years, replaced the whiteness. Draco,   
Harry, Pansy, and another Slytherin from their year were cowering underneath Professor Snape's unusually large coffee table   
in his quarters. A stuttering Snape was trying to say something to an irate Voldemort, who would hear none of it. 

"P-p-please, Voldemort--Lord Voldemort--no n-n-need to t-take the bo--" 

"--Severus Snape!" the dark lord hissed. "Do not take me for a fool. I know damn well that you're close to   
that Potter boy. Do you really think I care whom you choose to invite to your little tea parties?" he spat, rolling his   
narrow eyes. 

"H-he's more p-p-powerful th-than you'd--" 

"Oh, give it up, you traitor," he snapped, "And stop stuttering like a fool. We all know what happened to the   
last man who stuttered like that." 

With that, he raised his wand and flicked it lightly, muttering a curse under his breath. Before Snape had   
time to react, he clutched his wrist with a blood-curdling scream and fell to his knees, the hollow laugh of Voldemort   
mingling with his agonized shriek. 

Harry tried to close his eyes, but he couldn't move at all. Even with no body, he felt the screaming   
professor's pain; it was how he felt it the first time he saw it, when he was crouching beneath that table. 

He looked down at his younger self with an urge to protect himself, to shield himself from the tainting dark   
forces that were openly exposed to him. 

The scene seemed to distort slightly, as if someone had pinched the middle and was trying to twist it in. It   
happened slowly at first, the sound beginning to dwindle, and then faster, until it sank into nothingness, and all was   
white again. 

That was odd was all Harry could manage to think. _ Almost like that "pensieve" Draco keeps telling me about . ._   
_. but it couldn't be. No, it's only an illusion, a haunting memory flooding into my mind--so realistic, but a flashback_   
_nonetheless._

The whiteness had a quietness to it that made Harry rather uncomfortable. He was relieved when the white faded   
into Madame Pomfrey's pink, round face. 

"Well, it's about time!" she chuckled, shoving a piece of chocolate into his open mouth. "You've been out for   
nearly half a week! And Professor Snape isn't too happy, mind you. His model student knocked out by a thug like Crabbe!"   
She laughed outwardly now. "Oops! Maybe I shouldn't have said that." Harry tried not to laugh at how much she reminded   
him of the gamekeeper when he talked to their Care of Magical Creatures class. "Oh, by the way, there's a lad who's been   
coming down to see you just about all the time: Draco Malfoy, your blonde little partner in crime. You might want to talk   
to him sometime. He's been gushing on and on about how he's so 'sorry' about something--not too sure what. He's outside   
the door right now, I think…." 

Harry finished the chocolate in his mouth as Madame Pomfrey bustled across the room. She opened the door and   
beckoned someone to come in. 

A hopeful-looking Draco peeked his head through the door. He walked coolly across the room, trying to hide his   
excitement, but his eyes looked overjoyed. He sat down on the edge of Harry's bed, looking so goofily eager to speak to   
him that Harry was having a hard time containing his laughter. "Harry, you're awake!" he exclaimed. "Thank god," he added   
softly. 

Harry weakly smiled, still feeling slightly dizzy. "Was Crabbe in trouble?" 

Draco grinned, and nodded. "You should have seen Snape's face!" Sobering up a bit, he added, "He went a bit   
easier on you, but you're still not getting an easy way out." 

Harry groaned, letting his head plop carelessly back onto the pillow. "Detention?" he asked. 

"Two days," Draco sighed. "That means no time to--" he paused and swiveled his head around to make sure they   
were alone, "--to talk things over between us." 

Harry's ears went pink. "Y-you mean between . . . " he slipped into a rather sultry voice, "us?" 

Draco snickered, obviously amused at Harry's attempt to assure their topic. "Yes, about a few things regarding   
that, actually. First of all, about the last morning, you remember--I really didn't mean to give you the cold shoulder. I   
just--" He stopped, and pulled Harry into an upright position by his shoulders, "I just didn't know how to handle it. I've   
been wanting to apologize so much, I--" 

"-shhhh!" Harry interrupted. "It's okay. Now, the second thing?" 

"Yes, well--I wanted to know where this--where 'us'--is headed. We can't just go around snogging all the time   
without knowing what we're getting into!" Draco drawled raising an eyebrow. 

Harry stared back at him blankly for a moment, and there was an awkward pause. "Alright, maybe we can, but   
what good will it do us?" Draco continued, clumsily spitting out his words in an unnaturally high voice. 

Harry only replied with a grin. He pushed all grogginess aside and pounced forward, bringing his legs behind   
him and pinning Draco to the bed. He leaned forward and kissed him fiercely, pulling away just as Draco started getting   
into it. 

Draco blinked a few times then smiled. "And people thought I was the aggressive one!" He pulled Harry back   
down and initiated a second kiss, this one slower and more passionate. 

Harry pushed away again, all too soon, leaving Draco to squeal, "You tease!" 

"Shhh!" Harry warned, climbing back to the head of the bed and tucking his legs back in the proper direction.   
"Someone's coming, I can hear it." 

Harry lowered back down onto the bed and Draco sat up--just in the knick of time. The door opened, and Madame   
Pomfrey rushed in. "Harry, you're looking a little flushed," she crooned, stooping down to his face. "Are you doing   
alright?" 

"Really, I'm doing quite alright. I think I'll be fine to go now," Harry suggested. 

After a brief skeptical look, she waved him off with her hand. "Alright, alright. But take some chocolate   
before you go," she added, taking a large chunk out of her pocket and placing it in his hand. With that, she pulled him   
out of bed and gave him a scoot towards the door. 

Draco and Harry exited, giving each other a knowing look as they walked out the door.   
  
  
  


Like it? Eh? Read, review! I'll love you forever!   
And don't forget to sign up to my mailing list! 

~Lauren 


	13. To Battle a Shadow

WOW! I haven't written in FOREVER! My summer has been SERIOUSLY busy, people, and I completely apologize. Now to make it up to y'all, I'm going to   
sit down and write a damn good chapter . . . I hope. 

My mailing list has twenty six people now! How cool is that? But y'all can make it even cooler by coming and joining yourself. Sound like a plan? I thought so   
too. Here's the link:   
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hpperhaps/ 

I'm starting a fanfiction site! As of right now it's under major construction, but I'm in dire need of some fanfiction to host. I accept all pairings and all ratings except   
for NC-17. If you'd like your story up there, just throw me a line at yogurtgoddess@charter.net . Otherwise, I'll keep you updated, and tell y'all when it's   
working! 

Thank you guys SOOOOO much for all your support. It really is what keeps me writing, even if I only do so sporadically, naughty me. So if you want me to   
hurry up and keep on writing, tell me! It really does help. 

And ssssssssspecial thanks to my mailing list, Ryan, and all that reviewed the last chapter:   
Bienfoy, °~lover~°, Stephanie, katie, Yashshii-Soshite-Mujaki, Kirona, traleela, ??, MOiT, SoulSister, dragon eyes, endlesschatting, moonfire, Draco   
Malfoy N Harry Potter, Joan, MOI, Prophetess Of Hearts, Angel of Darkness, flynfish, Chibi slasher, Yonaka no Inu-Ryuu, franthephoenix, McKaylah,   
the-princess-bard, Krystiana, Hippy Flower(Voldie's kid, Arabwel, stace, skye, and zoobigigi.   


Sorry if I missed anyone! And now, with no further ado, I give you chapter thirteen of Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps . . .   
  
  
  
  


A darkness filled the air, both chilling and eerie, as Draco turned his back to see Harry lying on the stone floor, blood steadily pooling in sheathes, surrounding his seemingly lifeless body. A shadow lurked behind him, cloaked and corruptive, sucking any traces of glow and health from Harry's complexion, and leaving him looking as fragile and pale as Draco himself. Harry looked up at Draco and breathlessly whispered, "Run . . . go, Draco. I'll be right behind you." His voice hollow, his whisper grave. His hand reached out slightly, and his face called out for Draco to follow the trace of his words. 

Draco suddenly felt panic fill his lungs as he stared at the figure eyeing and pleading for his compliance. He turned and ran, not watching where he was headed, not caring. His head hung low while his legs seemed to move mechanically, stiff, jerky and awkward, as his usual grace and pride had surprisingly left him--, and his feet in seeming defiance of will with each forced step. 

_Run_, he told himself. _Run for Harry, run for yourself, run if you want to live. Just don't stop._

He felt weak at the knees in mid-step, eyes tearing with pain. A rush of air struck the nape of his neck as he looked straight ahead, opened his mouth,   
and remembered to _breathe_. 

"Ughhhhhhh…." 

Harry lifted his head and coughed. He gazed up at the shadow looming before him, and received nothing but a hollow laugh, haunting and inexplicably wicked. He turned his head to monitor Draco's progress . . . he saw not Draco, but a clumsy, awkward shell of a man, his fluidity as horribly mangled as the face of the monster above him. He took what strength he had left and pushed himself off the ground, barely dodging the shadow's swooping hand. He reached for his wand, but found nothing. With the ground spinning, his body unsteadily leaning forward as his eyes rolled back, he felt his right leg bearing his weight. Suddenly the world steadied and focused itself, and his left foot took a shaky step forward. Momentum soon followed, and he found himself running with a heavy leg. He approached Draco as best as he could, although he could hear the shadow's footsteps were not far behind. It was coming closer. He could _feel_ it. 

"Draco!" he cried out, just a few yards away from the boy's jolting figure. Draco turned his head back to see Harry's face wince as the shadow finally caught the hem of his robes. "No!" Harry screamed, falling to the ground face first with an audibly loud force. 

Draco found himself struggling to redirect his body, he tried with all of his might to run back and help Harry. But he was frozen. His body stayed in its position although tears filled his eyes, and he watched Harry's arm fall out in front of him. His sleeve had slipped back, exposing his pale wrist to the shadow. It laughed again, the deep sound reverberating a tremor down Draco's spine. Harry screamed as its hands reached down towards his vulnerable forearm. 

One more laugh, and then it contacted Harry's skin. Immediately Harry stopped his insistent struggle, and a calm, sedated look crossed his face. Draco   
shook his head slowly. His mouth opened to talk, but nothing came out. The shadow picked something up . . . a wand . . . it raised its hand . . . 

Harry's face suddenly snapped back into attentiveness. He raised his free arm, and tried to protect his wrist. "Stop," he moaned. "Please . . . oh god, please . .   
." The shadow growled menacingly. It dropped the wand, and attempted to pry off Harry's protecting hand. With one final snarl, it tore the boy's hand off of his   
wrist, scratching it in the process. "Ah!" Harry screamed softly, his handsome face wincing in pain. 

And to Draco's surprise, he winced too. Looking down at his own wrist, he saw a gash identical to Harry's. A loud step sent his attention back at the shadow, as it was, again, ready to curse, with wand in hand. Both boys screamed in pain as they lost all control, their bodies bleeding, near the brink of death… 

In the Slytherin dorms, two boys awoke in a cold sweat, one clutching his forehead.   


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  


"To mix the ethinsberry tonic with the infusion of wormwood and your eye of newt, you must first add--Harry Potter, are you listening?" Snape drawled. "I   
wouldn't expect such a loyal student as you to not pay attention in this class, Potter." 

But Harry wasn't listening. He was gazing intently at his wrist, his sleeve pulled back slightly. Tainting his clear skin was a gash . . . 

_ ::With one final snarl, it tore Harry's hand off of his wrist, scratching the wrist in the process. "Ah!" Harry screamed softly, his handsome face_   
_ wincing in pain.::_

Draco looked over at Harry along with the rest of the class, and his eyes were directed down to Harry's wrist, seeing the wound. The smirk left his face, and his   
eyes widened. 

Somebody from behind poked Harry, and he jolted back into attention. "Oh! Uh, sorry Professor Snape. I was . . . I . . " 

"That's enough, Potter. I'll let it slide this time, but let's not let it happen again." Hearing the Gryffindors in the class start to groan, he glanced in their direction   
and snapped, "That's final." 

But Draco wasn't paying any attention to the Gryffindors' whining, or even the greasy-haired Professor Snape. Morbid curiosity controlling him, he casually slipped his hand down to his robe sleeve and slipped it back, not far enough to catch Harry's (or Snape's) attention, but just far enough to see the end of a gash peeking out at him from underneath the black fabric. Restraining a gasp that was trying valiantly to escape his mouth, he dropped the sleeve and drew his eyes back up to the lesson. A look of relief washed over his face as he realized nobody had noticed his odd behavior. 

Both boys stayed jumpy throughout the entire lesson, their eyes frequently glancing down to their wrists as they chopped their roots and added them to the   
bubbling cauldron. They were so distracted from the lesson that when they tested out the potion, not only did it not give their mouse a sufficient extra pair of legs,   
but it seemed to have sprouted tiny horns on the top of its head. 

"Potter, Malfoy, I would have expected better from you. Perhaps you were . . . distracted? Whatever it was, I would suggest you fix it." He sighed, before   
adding reluctantly, "That's five points from Gryffindor." 

After their dismissal from the class, they walked out cloaked in a heavy silence. Breaking the pause, Draco murmured, "Harry, I need to talk to you about   
something." 

Harry frowned. "What?" he asked. 

"Not now, there are . . . people around." 

Harry furrowed his brow, then suddenly opened his mouth. "Oh! You mean, about . . ." He bit his lip and blushed slightly. 

Draco grinned. "Well, that too, but something else." 

Harry's face drew back into a look of confusion. "But . . ." 

"Later, Harry," Draco confirmed. 

They turned right, and neared the Slytherin common room. "Draco?" 

Draco sighed. "Yes?" he drawled, glancing in Harry's direction. 

Harry looked up at Draco with a superbly innocent pout. "It's later . . ." 

Draco stopped, and looked at Harry's pouting lips and puppy-dog eyes. There was a moment of silence before he let out a rather loud guffaw, turning several   
heads. Walking again, he laughed, "Harry, never . . . ever . . . use that face again!" 

Harry grinned. "But it's so cute!" he defended. 

Not wanting to agree out loud, Draco shot Harry a look that simply said, "I know." 

A couple of Slytherins in front of them told the password to the painting, and they slipped in after them. After getting safely into their   
dorm, the two of them crawled onto Draco's bed, and shut the curtains. "It's best if no one hears us," Draco explained, then uttering a silencing charm. 

He bit his lip, not knowing how to approach the subject. "Today, in potions . . . you . . . you were looking at your wrist, and I saw that scratch. Well . . . "   
Having no clue how to continue, he took the matter into his hands, literally. He lifted up his sleeve and showed Harry the matching wound. 

Harry gasped. "But . . . the dream . . . h-how did--" 

Draco slipped his finger up to the stuttering boy's mouth. "Shh, Harry. I had the dream too. I figured it out after I saw you in Potions today, looking at it. It all   
makes sense, really. I read it in one of my father's books last summer. It's a special sort of Serbian spell called a maštanje spell, and it's not one that's performed   
with wands or potions or anything like that. It's a steady binding spell, and only occurs when two prophesized leaders achieve a certain point in their relationship   
where their dependence on each other grows complete." 

Harry's mouth hung open and his eyes were as large as saucers. "But, why would we be prophesized leaders? And . . . just . . . how? And . . oh god!" 

Draco shook his head slightly. "I'm not quite sure. There are several other spells that have the same results, but require intricate potions, or certain   
procedures." Suddenly, his lips tightened. "Harry, you haven't . . . nobody's been waving any wand at you or anything, right? And you haven't drank any odd   
potions?" 

"Of course not!" Harry scoffed. "You think I'd have told you about that." 

"Well, then I'm almost sure it has to be the maštanje spell. Tell you what, let's go to the library right now and see what we can find about this spell, okay? And   
we'll make sure to check out any books of prophecies, specifically Serbian ones." Draco smiled at Harry and took his hand in his own. "Don't worry, we'll get it   
straightened out." 

"I hope so," Harry whispered, his lip quivering.   
  
  
  


Hee hee hee! Took me long enough, eh? Well, the story's taking an interesting little twist . . . but if you want me to update soon, know how to inspire me? 

**grins** 

Review! What else? 

And don't forget to** _join the mailing_**_ list_ for updates, discussions, posted art and other stories, and just a good time. Biya! 

~Lauren~*~HPMystery~   



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